Which areas are known for great state schools - only ever hear about Tunbridge Wells!

[arizonagirl]

Can anyone help?? We are considering our options and looking at both prep and state schools for our four children.

We keep hearing that the state schools are great in Tunbridge Wells and that the grammar schools later are a good choice (obviously if they pass dreaded 11+). Not sure I want to worry about one exam for so many years and let's face it, it is unlikely all four will pass which might cause some bad feeling between them. But if they are really good schools, perhaps we should consider it. Any thoughts?

Also, I would so appreciate any other pointers to areas which are reputed to have excellent state schools and good options for secondary.

We are able to move anywhere as long as dh can commute to London within an hour and a half.

Getting tired from all this research and seem to be going around in circles.

Thank you so much for any help!!

Watford - two selective state grammars (a boys' and a girls' which get excellent results and couple of other very good state schools).

PS commute to London is 20mins from Watford Junction to Euston.

I think Bucks has grammar schools ?

Thank you for your suggestions. Yes, Bucks does has grammar schools - not sure what they are like. We have discussed Bucks. Dh thinks the houses would be ridiculously priced and thinks we would be bored as there is nowhere really to go - no main towns - unless you go into London. But I admit Bucks keeps coming into my mind and I should check it out. Thank you.

Berkshire is much nicer - have a look at any schools on the Bucks borders ? Lots of nice schools around Beaconsfield too - but think you need to be within striking distance to get in...

Think you're a bit stuck for choices with boys if they don't make the 11+ in TW. But also with girls if they don't get in to Bennett Memorial (excellent alternative).

But in the last year or two I gather that a fair few kids who passed, still did not get grammar school places as they're so over-subscribed that distance now really plays a part, whereas it never used to be so much of an issue.

Possibly less stressful to look elsewhere.

Surrey if your very near one of the great comps (be careful not to fall in love with a house far away from them though). Good private schools too.

hertfordhire has a number

Thanks so much everyone. Mummytime, which comps in Surrey have a good reputation? Appreciate all this help. My head is spinning.

And mum1369 - which bits of Berkshire do you recommend - I will take a look.

Gordon's if you like military. St John Baptist if you are Catholic. Weydon, Farnham; St Bede's Redhill (but really need to be religious); George Abbot, Guildford; Glyn, Ewell; Hinchley Wood, Howard of Effingham. Salesian Chertsey, seems to be on the up, Catholic. Roseberry I don't know but seems to do well.

Others some seem to rate, and as things can change might be worth looking at.

Thanks. Yes, Beaconsfield does look very very nice but very very expensive. Guess I just need to realise that the best schools are going to be in places that are just so ridiculously expensive : (((

I think the 11+ is sufficiently stressful and nasty that I'd want to avoid it. (DN went through it this year, lives in Tunbridge Wells - she found it very stressful and she is exceptionally academically talented)

The schools in Cambridgeshire are generally very good, in my opinion. I'd happily send my children to any of them.

Some of the schools in Oxford are very good, but friends who teach there suggest they're rather a mixed bag.

By the way, my teaching friends and I note with interest that some schools praised on Mumsnet are perceived by those in the profession as having rather poor teaching in some subjects, but get by because their students get a lot of support from parents. We think that schools praised on Mumsnet tend to be ones with a more middle-class intake, not necessarily ones with partiucularly good teaching.

winchester always cited as somewhere not worth paying school fees - very good secondary schools and sixth form college

not all Tunbridge wells schools are great, if you are not grammar and don't go to church, you are screwed. The new skinners academy has rebranded itself and had 3 different names in the 16 years we have been here. Speaks volumes in my book, heavily undersubscibed and avoided as much as possible by anyone who has the means to go elsewhere

if you are heading to west kent and don't want church or 11+ your best bet is tonbridge for girls or for boys.... well nothing I'd recommend, you'd have to pay and go private

I'd second Winchester definitely, nicer place too but then I'm biased as its my home town

New Skinners Academy?? What's that then? Sandown Court as was, which then became TW High School? And then something else?

Trouble is, is that after the grammar school intake, those schools left can't really be called comprehensives, as the "top" band have been creamed off. So if you go to an area (as where we are now) where there are no grammars or partially selective schools anywhere near, then the intake is much closer to the original ideal of the comprehensive school.

yes thats the one! parents at Skinners (grammar) not too happy about the name but the school has some sort of vested interest, share teachers etc.

You are right about not ever getting a true comprehensive around here although we do get the full ability range in the church schools. Bennett memorial has quite a few grammar types, St Gregory's too to a lesser degree

Interestingly though that Hillview in Tonbridge which is the girls High school, performs consistently above the national average and has sent students to oxbridge

just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover - or a school by its designation

eatyourveg, it always struck me as slightly incongruous that Sandown Court and Huntleys (the old boys' secondary modern next door to Bennett which shut a good few years back) always suffered pretty ropey reputations (probably through no fault of their own), yet were situated in two of what were arguably the most upmarket areas of the town, Sandown Park and Culverden Down. And that's saying something for TW, most of which is fairly upmarket. But catchment areas didn't play much of a part then, unlike where I live now, where it's paramount.

George Abbott in Guildford Surrey - but you do need to be on the door step.

Huntleys was before my time but yeh I see your point. as for catchment areas, you can be in Pembury which is right on the doorstep of T/W but is classed as out of area for the 11+ and everyone trecks over to paddock wood where Mascalls is a comp. Not sure what the catchment area logic is there. If you are out of area you have to get a higher score.

The moral of this story going back to OP is that just because teh word out there is that T/W schools are great and Kent has the 11+ so must be full of lovely high achieving grammar schools there are pockets where you are out of area and also schools in area where given the choice most people avoid.

My advice - do your homework and visit everywhere. there is no such thing as one size fits all and one mans meat is another mans poision as the saying goes